


Reunion

by setrevuo



Series: 28-day ficlet writing challenge [12]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Reincarnation, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23623948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setrevuo/pseuds/setrevuo
Summary: Hyungwon meets a complete stranger who feels familiar.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Lee Hoseok | Wonho
Series: 28-day ficlet writing challenge [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686037
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt - REBIRTH: write about what you believe happens after this.

“Excuse me, have we met?”  
  
Without turning around, Hyungwon responded with, “Keep walking, buddy.”

“Not even an original pick-up line. Unbelievable.” Hyungwon rolled his eyes at Kihyun. His friend was sitting on the other side of the cafe table and squinting up at the stranger behind Hyungwon in mild curiosity. 

“I’m sorry-” The body of the voice moved closer and into view, and Hyungwon suddenly sensed a chill shooting up his spine. “-I don’t mean to bother you. But you just feel familiar.”

It was a unique way of putting it. Feeling familiar, as opposed to looking familiar. Hyungwon eyed the stranger. Seeing his face now, Hyungwon could vouch that they have, indeed, never met before. The stranger was wearing professional attire, suit and tie and looking rather polished, as if from a social strata too high for this tourist trap of a cafe. Which, incidentally, was what Hyungwon and Kihyun were in this city - tourists visiting from about a thousand miles away. 

Hyungwon didn’t want to take the bait, but the unnatural chill he felt grew stronger the longer this stranger was near him. He grit his teeth, hoping it wasn’t a trap. “And where have we met?”

The stranger licked their lips and paused before responding with a question. “Do you remember Neungsan?”

So it was a trap, after all. Hyungwon vaguely remembered the ancient town from his history books, but he had never been there, himself. He was about to tell the stranger to bugger off when the stranger spoke up again.

“There was a well. At the edge of a village, beyond the tombs. The well had no water, but autumn leaves collected at the bottom from the canopy of trees above.” The stranger swallowed, as if this picture they were painting for themselves had painful origins. “Two children hid among these leaves, when the fires came.”

“Are you looking for donations? Is that it?” Kihyun asked, perplexed at the story.

Meanwhile, Hyungwon was rooted to the spot. His mouth ran dry and his breath nearly stopped. 

His mind, on the other hand, seemed to travel to another place, to another time, another body. He could perfectly imagine the stranger’s description of the scene, not from the outside, but from within. He could smell the charred patchwork of their home’s rooftops, thick smoke rolling through the cobbled streets and suffocating their lungs. He could hear the screaming of people trying to run but meeting their demise at the flame’s long tendrils. He could sense the fear, the panic as his parents were unable to be found among the upheaval around him. 

And he could hold the warmth of a hand, one just as small as his, within his own and tucking him away, into the safety of their hiding place. He could see the tear-streaked cheeks of the other child, equally covered in soot, but with a sure, determined voice that they will be okay. He could see the darkness, the sun barely peeking through the layers of leaves they dug themselves under to make sure they stayed away from the eyes of the rebels. He could feel the child's body providing him heat in the cold nights, shielding him from the wind and the rain. He could taste the stale bread that the child saved for him, eating it in rations over several days, eating the other’s rations as well, because the child only sought to save him, and only him.

And finally, finally, Hyungwon was transported back to the present. He looked at the stranger, eyes brimming with emotions he never felt in this life, and a smile reserved for a friend he hadn’t seen in hundreds of years. 

“Hoseok.”


End file.
